leveling gear alarm while driving

[btcruzer]

So, I'm driving home and for no apparent reason the "JACKS DOWN " lights up on the Power Gear control panel and a very annoying " BEEP, BEEP" is happening. Trust me, this will have you hunting for an exit PDQ. Find an exit, jump out, get a visual on the jacks, All seems well. Extend and retract, no change. Drive some more and check again, no change.
Temp in the 90s - pavement seems like 130, I'm thinking it must be a limit switch on one of the jacks. Which is more bearable, crawling around on HOT pavement and gravel on the roadside OR "beep, beep, beep" for the next 60 miles? I chose "beep, beep"

later on that same day --

I started this post to ask about this situation, but knowing that I'd be hammered for not giving enough detail, I stopped and went for the manuals (if I had the one for the jack system). Sure enough, found the manual and hopefully, the problem might be low fluid in the reservoir. Wouldn't that be peachy? Next question would be "where did the fluid go?" Cylinders are dry, as is the pump. I'm not above just adding fluid and hoping for the best but kinda wondering, guess I'll be checking the hoses. Along with the manual I found a tip sheet dated Dec. 2011. It details how to test and replace the fluid sensor/float switch. Guess the prev. owner had maybe this same issue.

Now I don't have a question but killing time until things cool down enough to check things out. Guess I'd rather have low fluid versus a defective switch.

[btcruzer]

update on the original post--

Crawled under the MH Sat. morning armed with a wrench and a quart of ATF. Found drop of fluid on drain plug. Ah HA, leaking drain plug. So that's where the fluid went. Okay, bet I can fix that. Pull the fill plug and get a flow of fluid down side of tank. Yes, fill plug- not drain plug. Probably a pint of fluid ran out. Didn't have time to catch it as I was expecting to add. Now what? Let it drain and wipe down the tank, and put fill plug back in. Crawl out and check to see whats going on now. No beep beep or audible alarm. Lower the jacks and things seem right. Raise the jacks and still no alarm. Run the jacks up/down/up/down - fronts only, rears only, left and right. Things actually seem to work better/faster. Now the jacks will retract when I push the raise jacks button - I don't have to hold it down. Also, if I release the parking brake or take the trans out of park the jacks retract by themselves. I don't know if that last part happened before this incident or not. Never really fooled around with them. Everything seems good at this point but now I have questions. If someone filled the tank while the jacks were down or partially down wouldn't that prevent the jacks from retracting fully? How would a low fluid float switch cause an alarm when the fluid was actually high? Could the high fluid create a pressure in the tank and collapse the float? I'm pretty sure that I did check to see that I'd get the alarm when I should. But then again, the alarm doesn't happen until the brake is released or trans not in park. Either situation causes the jacks to retract seemingly automatically.Guess I'll just run out there and check all this stuff again. Updates at ten.

[jerseyjim]

BSINMICH: Seems no "hydraulic shop" within 30 miles of my house is interested in doing this. All they want to do is make hoses with fittings.

Besides, if there is the SLIGHTEST defect in the chrome piston, nothing can be done. And to tear the thing down to look at the piston would cost some $$.

Right now, I have the old jack in the garage...waiting.

[creeper]

GlennLever wrote:
The float for the low fluid sensor can get stuck and cause this there is a bulletin out on this

Do you have a link to the bulletin?

[bsinmich]

If you take the jack to a hydraulic place (not a RV dealer) they can usually repair a jack.

[jerseyjim]

I had that annoying alarm, too! My experience:

Low fluid. (Powergear). Added Dextron III. No problem until the next trip. Same thing....added more Dextron III. Then, time for an oil change, and while underneath, looking around, found a puddle of oil in the drivers' side front jack "foot". Contacting POWERGEAR for information, "my" jack had no rebuild kit...and POWERGEAR would not sell ME a replacement jack, I had to go thru a dealer or retailer...so for a bit over an outrageous 600 bucks, got a new jack. At least this replacement has a rebuild kit. (You can buy used jacks on-line...but who knows? Some listed are incomplete! So for me, a new one was the only choice).

Then...in the next 4 months I had to replace two of the four hydraulic hoses. Oil on the ground. One was 7 foot long, the other 30 feet long. One had a hole in it, the other had a "rip" .Local shop made replacement hoses in about 15 minits and I did the work of replacing. Not bad, either.

[GlennLever]

The float for the low fluid sensor can get stuck and cause this there is a bulletin out on this

[Dachristianman]

This happens on mine if it's really hot outside and I just turn the power on to the jacks, push the "home" button (or whatever brings them all the way back up) and it goes out and I then I turn the power back off. Works every time.

Tom

[btcruzer]

Where is that FUSE? Good piece of info. to know. Sure would have been nice to silence that sucker. The RV is a 2003 Fleetwood Flair, I REALLY would like to know the location of that fuse. Thanks to all.

[creeper]

That's a problem on my punch list. Just started happening. Alarm went off 3 times in less then 30 miles. But I have a leaky jack.

[wa8yxm]

I have found that with the seasons the tank is not well designed

It gets HOT this time of year (July/Aug) and the fluid expands,, Over flows the tank and is lost

Then when it gets colder, the fluid contracts and the level is low enough to trip the alarm.

NOTE: Tank also expands and contracts just not as fast.

Have had to add fluid annually.

Page 2

VISUALLY inspect the jacks NO SLIVER should be showing above the pads.

[fritzcreek]

I had this problem twice over the years.

1. 'They' filled the reservoir down south when it was hot. When we got up north and it got cold, the fluid contracted, the level in the reservoir went down and the switch activated off and on as we bounced down the road. I checked the level and added fluid. There was no leak.

2. The float switch failed. There was no leak.

On my RV the hydraulic reservoir is readily accessible as is the dipstick and the float switch.

As a by the way- when we bought the RV the mechanic pointed out that there are manual valve actuators on the pump/reservoir assembly should an electric solenoid fail.

[JimM68]

Ours recently had that alarm going off.
I pulled the fuse to silence the alarm, and added fluid at my next opportunity.

Dunno know where the fluid went. No oil on the jack cylinders, no oil under the coach. not gonna worry bout it till it happens again.

[roam1]

Fill it up, exercise the jacks while observing the hydrolics
It will be obvious where the leak is!
Pull the bad hose, take it to a hydrolic hose shop and get one made, install, fill, get the air out, on your way!

Don't ask me how how I know.....

[rr2254545]

One of the funniest memories of my early days in a MH was going across Wisconsin with Kleenex in our ears because the jacks were low on fluid and I did not know how to shut the alarm off and could not ask the dealer as it was a weekend